Macedonia, a poor, neglected region of the Serbian kingdom, is oblivious to all this turmoil.

DIMITRIY, the owner of a small local football team, has more pressing worries on his mind. His gifted boys, all of different ethnic backgrounds, seem to have lost the ability to win. His star player, KOSTA THE COUNT, is more focused on gambling, thieving and skirt chasing. His lack of commitment and carefree attitude affects the performance of the whole team. The situation worsens when Kosta falls in love with REBECCA, the stunning daughter of a stern Jewish banker. It is obvious to everyone that this story has no future. How could a princess ever love a beggar? But Kosta is desperately in love. Against everyone’s advice, he follows his heart and pursues Rebecca with unrelenting passion.

The team loses one game after another. It’s a disaster of colossal proportions. Dimitriy needs to fix the situation before his team implodes. The nervous owner, an admirer of German efficiency, hires the services of RUDOLF SPITZ, the legendary Teutonic coach, notorious for his inflexible discipline and hard work. Dimitriy is hopeful that this Aryan can transform his team of slackers into a formidable winning squad.

Rudolf Spitz begins this new adventure with loads of energy and enthusiasm. But the boys loathe him. At every stage Kosta and the rest try to undermine this German dictator. Undeterred by the boys’ defiance, Spitz refuses to step back. When his strict regime finally yields real results, the boys begin to show him the respect he deserves.
A real team is forged. Macedonia quickly moves up in the National Soccer League standings. The fragmented community is ecstatic and suddenly the team has a growing following. Dimitry is thrilled. This is the success he’s always dreamed of.

But the team is soon rocked by scandal when Kosta and Rebecca elope. A rabid DON RAPHAEL COHEN renounces his daughter. The lovebirds are ostracized by the whole community. A penniless Kosta is forced to turn to Dimitriy for help.
Having little choice, the owner allows the couple to set up a home inside the team’s dingy locker room. Kosta and Rebecca believe that in the end their love will triumph over all.

But this provincial scandal is soon set aside when the first Nazi tanks roll through Macedonia. The Serbian rulers are easily defeated and with the stroke of a pen, the whole region is annexed to Fascist Bulgaria. Dimitry is pleased. He greets the Nazis with great zeal, firmly believing that these new rulers will help modernize Macedonia and bring about much needed law and order. To his surprise, Spitz does not share his enthusiasm. The German coach hates the Nazis.

Colonel GARVANOFF, the new brutal town commander, soon reveals why. Spitz is a Jew!
Life becomes harder and harder as more restrictions are imposed by the new rulers. The Nazis prove to be much worse than the previous Serbian conquerors. Dimitry, who is now a member of the elite, remains apologetic towards the new regime. He feels that these steps will only ensure a better future for his much loved country.

Spitz and his boys are forced to join the new league organized by the Nazis. But this time they are not playing a simple ball game. Every victory obtained against the Aryans is a triumph of good over evil. The population adopts them as its symbol of hope.

Their string of successes infuriates the Nazis. Berlin orders its cronies to stop those boys by any means necessary. But all their attempts to threaten Spitz and his boys are futile. The Macedonian team is unstoppable. A vengeful Garvanoff moves in to arrest Spitz. The coach is rounded up with the rest of the Jewish population.
Everyone is terrorized as the whole region is systematically ‘cleansed’. Rebecca’s whole family is amongst these innocent victims. Luckily her name is not on Garvanoff’s list. Her forbidden love saves her from certain death. Kosta tries to free her family but is unsuccessful.

Dimitriy is shattered by all this barbarity. He wakes up to the fact that he has made a pact with the devil. To prove his allegiance he is asked to kill Spitz. But how can he murder the man who made his dream come true? Disillusioned by the Nazis and his beliefs destroyed, a repentant Dimitriy helps Spitz escape into the mountains, and as he watches him run to safety, turns the gun on himself.

The team is in tatters; Its leaders are gone; the boys’ spirit is broken. A gloating Garvanoff visits them before their final match. He wants to make sure that they understand his orders. The team must lose, otherwise they will all be shot.
Everyone is disheartened.
Kosta, who has just become a father, convinces his mates that they must fight back. They owe it to all those who believed in them and supported them.

The next day, the whole team fails to show up to the game. Garvanoff is furious. He has been deceived. Kosta and the rest escape to the mountains to join the partisans. The third half is about to start!

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